WVU clinic helps Syrian mother and son gain asylum

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Law students and professors at West Virginia University have helped a Syrian mother and son gain asylum in the U.S.

Officials at the Morgantown school say the anonymous clients were fearful of their country's ongoing civil war. They say they endured harassment and lived in a dangerous part of the country, where "bullets whizzed by their home'' at any given moment.

Four students with the College of Law's Immigration Clinic helped the family gain asylum.

The clinic was created in 1996. It has served international residents throughout West Virginia and western Pennsylvania with deportation, asylum and other legal proceedings.

Over the years, students have won political asylum cases for clients from Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt and other countries. Officials say the clinic helps students gain real-world experience.